First Marathon RR-Grandma's 2014

My first marathon preparation began on Thursday night, when I made spaghetti and sweet potatoes to eat for Friday lunch and Friday dinner. I left work early and drove 4 hours east to Duluth, where it was not sunny and hot, but 44 degrees with 30 mph winds and dense, dense fog. I couldn't even see the lake from the DECC parking lot, even though I knew the lake was less than 50 yards away.

Saturday morning I rolled out of a friend's RV and walked 30 yards to the train taking runners to the start of the marathon. The train was a great choice (thanks OMR) because it was heated and there were actual bathrooms. Ate my pre-race breakfast and made the all-important trip to the bathroom. When we arrived in Two Harbors, I figured I'd stand in line for the bathroom in case I had to go again. Mistake #1-I never got to go but in fact stood in line for an hour until 5 mins before the race start, and then madly walked/jogged up to the 3:25 corral, which was as far ahead as I could go before the gun went off. Crap! Mistake #2- I forgot to turn on my gps! I'll just run with the 3:25 group and hopefully it'll come on.

Mile 2--7:23. This pace feels stupid easy. I talk with a woman who ran 3:30 in the fall who is staying with the 3:25 group the whole way and she wants me to run with her. I tell her I'll stay with the 3:25 group until 10 then see how I feel.

Mile 3- 7:30 and first water stop. Didn't get anything bc I was still freezing and had to pee, since I hadn't gone right before the race. Curse those long porta -potti lines, which also made me not able to find ShortLegsII, another sub 3:20 forum member I had intended on running with. Someone spilled water in my shoe and I realized pace groups are crowded.

Mile 4- 7:47. Still talking with 3:25 group members and realize my HM time is way faster than these people.

Mile 5-7:48. Second water stop and my first gel. Down easy with water.

Mile 6- 7:45

Mile 7-7:47. I see another water stop up ahead and decide I can't stand being in the crowded pace group for another water stop. I don't drink anything but easy slightly ahead of the pace group. Never saw them again.

Mile 8-7:33. There were a couple of times I caught myself running down in the 7:20's range and backed off. Catching and passing lots of people.

Mile 9-7:32. Hands are freezing now. And I really have to pee.

Mile 10-7:20. Still feel like I'm flying. Still passing lots of people but reeling myself in to not go faster. Slight downhill here.

Mile 11-7:40. slight uphill here and second gel with water. Goes down fine.

Mile 12-7:33. See my family for the first time and chat with my dad as he runs beside me. I feel great.

Mile 13-7:30. I notice my half split: 1:40:30. Sweet. Just on pace. I can slightly negative split and make my A goal or easily break 3:23.

Mile 14:7:30. Now I'm running behind an older guy pacing another even older guy. The pacer is great so I decide I'll stick with them.

Mile 15: 7:35. Yep, this guy can run even splits.

Mile 16: 7:32. Still feeling good, and ready to take third gel at 17.

Mile 17: 7:40. Slight uphill here, and I'm starting to feel tired. Wait, that was the water stop! It came before my watch said it was mile 17 and there were hardly any people! Whatever, I'll just take this gel at 18 then. "Hey, do you know when the next water stop is? Okay, next mile, thanks"

Mile 18-7:38. THere's some balloons signaling a mile marker and volunteers handing out something. Alright, put the gel into your mouth so you can chase it with water here. Wait, that mile marker is for the half marathon, and those people are handing out jolly ranchers! Dang! Mistake #3. I'll just keep this gel in my mouth until mile 19 since I know if I swallow it without water I'll get a terrible stomach cramp. Running while breathing through only nose is hard...

Mile 19:7:30. I pick up the pace a little to get to the water stop. There's hardly any gel left in my mouth-I've swallowed 80% of it already. Oh man...hope that doesn't make my stomach blow up.

Mile 20: 7:47. I can't hold in my bowels any longer and take a quick pee stop. Wow, that feels better. But my stomach...feels like someone's jabbing into a knife into it. Rats. Legs still feel good and see my family again. Dad yells, "only 10k to go." 10k feels long but manageable at this point.

Mile 21: 7:38. My stomach! Augh! Crowds getting denser and I bet they know I'm hurting. I walk through the water station and realize my quads are stiff as boards. Uh oh.

Mile 23: 8:13. Walk about ten yards through another water stop. That hurts worse than running so I figure I'll just run and get this over with. I can see the pacer guy I've been following up ahead and decide I can't lose him. I have no idea what time I'm looking at, just trying to keep running and ignore the stomach pain, which actually became overwhelmed by my quads pain.

Mile 24: 7:55 and I'm aware I"m on the cobblestone now and close. I'm in a haze, no idea how much I have left or how fast I'm even going. People are passing me-Dang I must be fading hard-core. Please don't miss that 3:23 sub Ilana goal...Wow I really want to barf and feel like it but that would be kind of embarrassing in front of all these people...

Mile 25: 8:07. another big downhill and my quads hurt so bad I feel like I must be barely moving. I'm never doing this again. Oh wait, I'm already registered for Twin Cities...Just another mile. Just run another mile and then you can lie down.

Mile 26: 8:03. I have no idea I'm close to the finish until I see the finish line 150 yards away and then I try to run a little faster. Nope, that hurts too much. Keep this pace. Ow. I see the clock- 3:24 and change so I figure I'm under my B goal. Stop running. Stop watch. Wow, that's not too bad. 3:23:21. I actually only faded by a couple minutes. I stood in a mental stupor for about 35 seconds until I walked 15 feet, got my blanket and felt better.

I couldn't really walk for about 30 minutes after the race because my quads were so stiff. It took a little longer for my stomach to calm down. I decided immediately after the race that I need to run more miles and run more hills for Twin Cities. My peak week was 37 miles, and I'd only run 20 miles twice, and over 17 only three times. I'm sticking to the pfitz 12/55 after three rest weeks for TCM.

I think staying with the 3:25 group early helped me, even though it felt way too slow, in retrospect I shouldn't have expected a sub 3:20 time on 30 miles a week training even with a good HM time and perfect race day conditions. I just didn't have the endurance to keep 7:35's until the finish, much less mile 20. I think the gel mistake cost me, as well as the porta potti lines. That bathroom break cost me 30 seconds at the most, but stopping threw off my rhythm.

Overall, it was a good first marathon experience. I learned a lot, and this made me hungry to train more and run a better time at Twin Cities. It was humbling; about as hard as I thought it'd be. It would have been a lot worse without advice received on this forum! Definitely the hardest physical feat I've ever done, and I've hiked the Grand Canyon R2R2R in one day.

I think you did an excellent job for your first. That feeling, like you're going so slowly? That is what dooms so many people, but you kept it under control. I think your issues at the end will be solved with more mileage, though it always is tough in those last miles.

That's a great first marathon. I ran my 3rd (and a lot slower) in Anchorage the same day, and aside from the fact that I have an iron stomach (gels sans water usually aren't a problem, just gross), the description of how the miles felt sounds just like how it was for me.

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